New data sheds light on NHS efficiencies challenge
Survey of public sector workers in the UK suggests that 93 per cent of NHS organisations are hindered by substantial process inefficiencies, while most are confident that AI and automation will help to ease administrative burdens.
New research has shed light on the potential impact and scale of process inefficiencies across the NHS. The 2025 UK Public Sector Efficiency Survey, conducted by Appian, in partnership with Coforge, polled 1,000 UK public sector workers, including 242 NHS staff. Of those respondents, 95 per cent stated that they face process inefficiencies in delivering services, averaging out at five hours per week in extra work or delays.
Were this data representative of the NHS’s entire 1.5 million-strong workforce, this would equate to 7.5 million hours of extra work per week.
The top reported obstacles were:
- Manual and repetitive tasks
- Immediate challenges forcing reactive decision-making over proactive solutions
- A need to access multiple legacy systems to review or enter the same information
- A lack of training and support
NHS workers also reported process change as a common challenge, with 93 per cent stating that their organisation struggles to adapt its processes (specifically while maintaining productivity amid changing service demands and government policies).
These challenges are intensified by mounting pressure to improve productivity. The 2024 Darzi Report revealed that NHS productivity has declined by at least 11.4 per cent since 2019, and there is a significant gap between the NHS and other sectors in digital transformation progress.
Outdated systems obstruct NHS productivity
Legacy technology remains a significant obstacle to NHS efficiency. A 2025 report published by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) revealed that NHS England experienced 123 critical service outages last year, due to archaic technology.
“With elective care waiting lists at an all-time high, productivity is an urgent priority,” Peter Corpe, Industry Leader, UK Public Sector at Appian. “The research shows that NHS workers are challenged with legacy technology. Asking them to act as the human glue that binds those systems and technologies together only hinders efficiency further.”
AI and automation: the keys to efficiency?
Despite process challenges, the findings suggest that NHS staff are optimistic about the opportunities process automation and AI technologies offer:
- Confidence in AI: 64 per cent of NHS workers expressed some or high confidence in AI’s potential to improve organisational efficiency.
- Confidence in automation: 69 per cent believe automating repetitive tasks would simplify their jobs and improve outcomes. Among those already using workflow or process automation tools, 95 per cent reported improvements, including enhanced productivity, improved communication, greater consistency and traceability.
The solution to smarter public services
In a recently released AI Opportunities Action Plan, the government committed to building cutting-edge, secure, and sustainable AI infrastructure to support all public sector organisations, including the NHS. “The government is clear on its mission to automate processes in the public sector,” said Corpe. “AI adoption is no longer a question of if but when.” And according to survey respondents, public sector workers are ready for change.
The solution to process inefficiency, Corpe says, is to make technology part of the process. “And no company is better equipped to deploy AI in enterprise processes than Appian. Appian is the leader in process orchestration, automation, and intelligence. By embedding AI in processes with unified, secure enterprise data, Appian is improving service delivery outcomes. And we’ve been at the forefront of better process outcomes in government for over 25 years.”
“Every NHS organisation is built on processes, and when those processes improve, so do the services delivered,” said Corpe. “With millions of hours a week at stake, resolving process inefficiencies and orchestrating pathways such as referrals or discharge management offers the NHS a chance to work more efficiently. This means more time for strategic and value-driven activities that directly improve patient outcomes.”
Coforge, an Appian partner for over 13 years with 350+ Appian practitioners on staff, has seen these outcomes first-hand. “Modern AI and automation technologies are transforming complex government processes into streamlined digital workflows,” said Coforge Chief Customer Success Officer, John Speight. “By partnering with Coforge, organisations are turning this potential into reality – reducing processing times from hours to minutes to achieve significant cost savings, and deliver smarter, faster, community-focused outcomes.”
Download the 2025 UK Public Sector Efficiency Survey for more findings from public servants.
